Our 2025 Teen Program Instructors
Quinn Antle is a current undergraduate student at Wheaton College in MA. She will be graduating in the Spring of 2025 with a degree in Visual Arts and Creative Writing. Her interests include oil painting, poetry, organic vegetable farming, music, and community! She looks forward to spending her summer in lovely Putney, VT with a community of amazing artists!
Originally from Chicago, Violet Bell is a recent graduate from Mount Holyoke College, where she studied psychology, art history, and Japanese. She loves baking, trying new crafts, and being active. She is greatly looking forward to her first summer at Putney!
Bethany Blake’s life’s intention is to “get love free”. They are a musician, teacher, intuitive reader and
cook from Los Angeles, CA. They’ve worked in fashion and production in New York City and in music,
community organizing, food, and education in Los Angeles. Curious about the conditions necessary to
create a culture of belonging, they study why what and how we gather – and food is always a part of this
equation.
They moved to Los Angeles as a musician in June 2020 and simultaneously began their organizing and
education career, working with Revolutionary Autonomous Communities/Mutual Aid Action Los Angeles,
Alexandria House – a shelter for women and children, and teaching Vipassana meditation at schools
throughout the city.
Cooking has always been a significant part of Bethany’s life. Surrounded by food deserts and resource
disparity that plagues Los Angeles, they are passionate about food justice and providing accessible
healthy meals to communities throughout the city. Their background in food consists of cooking at
Alexandria House for holiday events and resident dinners, assisting chefs with catering events, working a
friend’s sandwich pop up at local queer events and preparing meals for retreatants at Dhamma Dena, a meditation center in Joshua Tree.
Bethany is thrilled to teach culinary at Putney this
summer.
Jade Bluhm is a recent graduate from California State University Channel Islands, where she earned a degree in Studio Art. With a lifelong passion for the arts, Jade thrives in creative environments and finds joy in connecting with fellow artists. Jade is currently living in Los Angeles and working as an Art Production Assistant for television. In her free time, she enjoys reading, oil painting, fashion design, and watching movies! This summer, Jade is excited to join the vibrant community at the Putney School Summer Arts program and looks forward to meeting everyone!
Aniela Cohig (she/they) is a multimedia artist and writer who currently lives in Portland, Oregon. She is a recent graduate of Reed College, where she studied art history with a concentration in 1970s countercultural art forms. Aniela has been working in the art education field for the last year and is excited to bring her skills to Putney, a place she truly adores and attended as a student in 2018 and 2019. In her free time, she loves tending to her plants and going on long walks listening to music at full volume. She is very excited to meet everyone this year!
Angharad Davies (BA with Honors in English, from The George Washington University; MFA in Dance, NYU) is an award-winning dancer, choreographer and movement director, and teacher. Her choreography and direction for dance, theater, and opera has been presented by Artspace New Haven, Danspace Project (NYC); The Educational Center for the Arts (New Haven, CT), ODC (San Francisco), Radialsystem (Berlin); Walker Art Center and Mixed Blood Theater (MPLS); Paul Mellon Arts Center at Choate Rosemary Hall (Wallingford, CT), and Yale Repertory Theatre, among other venues. As a performer, she has worked with companies and choreographers across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, including Ivy Baldwin Dance, Drastic Action, Gibney Dance, Hanna Hegenscheidt, SuperGroup, and Chris Yon. She has been on faculty at the University of Minnesota, the Lincoln Center Institute, Berlin’s Staatlicheballettschule, and the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a public performing arts high school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Additionally, she has been a guest artist, teaching master classes internationally at many universities and arts institutions, such as Yale, Princeton, Sasha Waltz & Guests, K3 Zentrum für Choreografie in Hamburg, Germany, and Yorkshire Dance Centre in Leeds, England. Angharad’s current teaching includes faculty appointments at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT, the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, CT, and Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, CT. To learn more visit her website.
Sid DiPasca, a recent graduate of Kingston University, is excited to return to Putney Summer Arts for his third summer as an RLT after first attending the program as a teenager. Sid’s artwork focuses on photography, digital collage, painting, and printmaking, with a strong commitment to making each new piece more bizarre than the last. In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, watching films, and going bouldering. Sid is looking forward to returning once again this summer!
Hilary Douglass is an art jeweler living in West Dummerston, Vermont with her family. She feels honored and thrilled to teach, share her knowledge, skills and passion of metalsmithing with her students. Her art and metalwork is marked by a love of materials, reflecting an arsenal of traditional techniques, love of problem-solving, and a belief in beautiful craftsmanship. When not in the studio Hilary can be found hanging out with her chickens or working in the garden.
Website
Ellie Elaine has always loved to create and experiment in all different artistic mediums, and studied at Parsons school of design with a focus on video and installation arts. She is very interested in the future of regenerative agricultural design, and she is excited to be returning to the The Putney School Summer Programs where the arts and ecology overlap.
Cecilia is excited to continue sharing a passion for the craft of theatre with students from all around the country and is delighted to spend her second summer at The Putney School Summer Programs.
Having completed 15 years of teaching Drama and Musical Theatre at Ransom Everglades School, Cecilia is also the Co-Founder of the REMS House System, where curriculum is developed to further students’ social-emotional growth and foster campus camaraderie. Each year, Cecilia directs and choreographs a production, providing students with opportunities to extend their arts education beyond the classroom. Believing in learning through play and creativity, Cecilia emphasizes building a strong ensemble in a safe, joyful space.
A graduate of New World School of the Arts High School, she earned a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from the conservatory program at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and a Master of Arts also from UM. Prior to joining Ransom Everglades, Cecilia worked with the National Foundation for the Advancement of Arts’ YoungArts program, identifying exceptional young talent.
She continues to perform professionally as a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Favorite performances include Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, La Cage Aux Folles, Side by Side by Sondheim, August: Osage County, Anna en el Tropico (in Spanish), and the world premiere of I Love You Because. Additionally, Cecilia is a voice-over actor whose work spans a variety of projects in multiple languages for clients such as HBO, Telemundo, Univision, Nickelodeon, and Netflix.
In free time, she enjoys reading, paddle-boarding, snorkeling, and traveling. This vibrant life is shared with her partner of 20 years, Jorge, and their three incredible children: Joaquín, Belén, and Inés.
Mikayla Hammock is an ink illustrator and art teacher. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2023, and currently works as a k-8 art teacher in Arizona. Her illustrations explore the intersection of surrealism and scientific illustration. She loves drawing, museums, nature, and farm animals. This will be Mikayla’s second summer at Putney!
Cedar is an artist whose work tends to merge mediums. She received her BA in studio art at Carleton College, focusing primarily on printmaking, though her work has grown from a childhood love of drawing. Cedar has interned/taught at both Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis and the Textile Arts Center and Brooklyn and was recently an Artist in Residence at 59 Rivoli in Paris. Teaching, creating, and being in nature all bring her deep joy. She is very excited to join Putney this summer, and looks forward to seeing its creatures and trees appear in her own art.
Jay Howley is an illustrator, printmaker and cartoonist from Pennsylvania, now based in Baltimore, Maryland. Jay’s work stretches to encompass and combine disciplines in printmaking, comics, show posters, and illustration. Howley is a current student at the Maryland Institute, College of Art, pursuing a BFA in Printmaking and a Masters in Art education. Jay’s work has been shown at West Chester University, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, and has been featured in BmoreArt, Baltimore Voyager and Bubbles fanzine. Jay works in collaboration with venues and artists in the Baltimore and DC area to create show posters and fliers for musicians and events.
Jon Hubbard is a metal artist and teacher living in West Dummerston, Vermont. Growing up in upstate New York Jon’s love of the outdoors, and art gave him the opportunity to travel and live out west for the past 20 years. His artwork is a reflection of nature and his travels. During the school year Jon teaches a variety of art classes at here the Putney School. And when he is not in the studio he can be found riding his mountain bike, hiking through the woods, or restoring a vintage bicycle.
Eric Johanni is a rockstar dad to two kick-awesome kids, a better than average rock climber, a nomad of a traveler, and an all-around creative ninja. When he’s not doing the above, he can be found educating the students at Arcadia High School and Phoenix College.
Ultimately, Eric is a collage artist that draws a vast skill set which includes, but is not limited to, sewing, printing, photography, drawing, wood working, digital design, assemblage, deconstruction, and repurposing. At the heart of his work he explores people’s connection to textiles and the impact that fabric has on our mood, memories, and relationships.
Eric has taught drawing, printmaking, photo and fashion design for the Putney Summer Programs. He gladly trades the Arizona heat for any chance to be in Vermont in summer.
Cooper Johnson will be returning as the animation teacher for The Putney Summer Arts Program. Although last summer was his first year teaching at Putney, his history here started when he was a student. Cooper attended The Putney School in high school (class of 2019) where he was a student dorm head, ultimate frisbee captain, and an avid animator. During the winter of his freshman year, he took his first animation class, and he hasn’t stopped animating since. After The Putney School, he studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design and received his BFA in Animation, graduating in 2023. Cooper has worked on several animated short films, both at school and independently.
Besides animation, Cooper’s interests include making pizza, ultimate frisbee, learning unique animal facts, and playing DnD. He is excited to be coming back for another summer to teach animation!
Website
Melissa Johnson moved to Southern Vermont from Istanbul in 1973 and graduated from the Putney School in 1977. After attending The University of Vermont, Goddard College and apprenticing to a production weaver, she began her career in textiles. Melissa has taught Fiber Arts at The Putney School during the academic year and the summer programs since 1995. She manages the dye garden and small animal barn, caring for Putney’s fiber animals including 12 sheep of assorted breeds and 4 alpacas. She also works as a designer, dyer and color consultant for The Green Mountain Spinnery. In 2013, along with a group from Putney School, Melissa helped found a weaving cooperative in Rwanda. She returns there each summer to work with the weavers, bring supplies and visit with friends.
Colton Kempf (he/him) is a composer, sound designer, and audiovisual artist. He has an MA in Music: Audiovisual Cultures from Goldsmiths University (London), where he worked on a large body of work called ‘Audiovisual Techniques for Scoring Home Movies.’ Colton continues to conduct research in the music department at Goldsmiths and work as a freelance sound recordist.
He is the co-founder of a small production company called SparkBoom Productions, which creates experimental and artist films, documentaries, and fictional worlds. We play with the storytelling power of audiovisual mediums to move their audiences.
His practice is exploring the relationship between the audio and visual arts, asking questions like: “What role does sound play in an increasingly visual society?” He is ever interested in the production and performance of noise, sound, and music.
When Colton is not studying sounds, he is probably walking in the woods or swimming. This will be his third Summer at Putney, where he began as a Residential Life Teacher in 2022. He is delighted to return to such an enchanting place!
To learn more visit hisWebsite.
Hollis Long is a writer from Tri-Cities, Washington, and currently a fellow with the Afterschool Network in Anchorage, Alaska. She studied creative writing at Yale University with a focus on short fiction and screenplay adaptations, and she is excited to bring her passion for working with youth to the Putney community. In her free time, she loves coaching youth basketball, reading, and playing tennis.
Léo Lee is a multinational artist. Born in Belgium to a French father and a yankee mother, they studied the European Baccalaureate with British peers until they switched to British A-levels. Starting their University studies in the UK, they completed their BFA studies at the School of the Art institute of Chicago where they also obtained a K-12 Art Education Certificate. After a year teaching middle and high school art in Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, they obtained a professional print certificate from the Tamarind Institute of Lithography in New Mexico before achieving their MA and MFA in Printmaking at the University of Iowa, where they also studied Book Arts, learning the history and practice of Papermaking, Bookbinding, Letterpress and Calligraphy.
A passionate educator focussed on the well-being and fulfillment of their students, they have primarily taught at the college level, as well as elementary, adult continuing education and seniors. They are deeply passionate about teaching, always seeking to instill a sense of confidence inner motivation and individual self-sufficiency in their students. Their work as an artist is mostly paper- print- and book-based. Books are a universally accessible medium, familiar and approachable: more people own a book than a work of art. And a book is art you can touch. The field is broad inclusive and welcoming to novices and advanced practitioners alike. Paper is made from plants and for the past several years, their practice focusses increasingly on using local and/or discarded materials to create, with a focus on sourcing local plants for papermaking as well as making their own paints and inks. Their hobbies–singing, crochet and gardening–support their work.
Bella Meyer couldn’t be happier about returning to the supportive and creative Putney community for a second summer. The rest of the year she lives in London and works as a production freelancer in the film industry. In her time off she loves to travel, cook, read and leave unfinished craft projects all over her home.
Mindy McCormick is a potter and educator based in Weaverville, North Carolina. For 26 years, clay has been her constant companion—a medium through which she has discovered herself and her connection to the world. She shares her passion as a high school ceramics teacher at Asheville High School, where she inspires young artists while continuing to grow in her own practice.
Her journey with clay began in the American Southwest, studying under the incredible Karita Coffey at the Institute of American Indian Art. From there, she expanded her skills at the Corcoran College of Art & Design, where she apprenticed in handmade tile making with Adrianna Baler. Her love for functional pottery was solidified at Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program, where she studied with Gary Clontz and graduated with the honor of “Innovation in Design” in their exhibition. She later earned a BA from Goddard College, exploring the intersection of storytelling, public art, and human development, followed by a graduate degree in Special Education from Western Carolina University.
Throughout her career, Mindy has had the privilege of learning from remarkable artists, including Mark Burleson, Becca Floyd, Terry Gess, Mark Hewitt, and Sara Wells Rolland. Her early work focused on mosaic making and public art installations, with murals completed in Santa Fe, NM; Washington, DC; Asheville, NC; and Weaverville, NC.
Living in Southern Appalachia has shaped her love for functional pottery. She finds beauty and purpose in the simple forms used in daily life, believing they enrich ordinary moments. Her work has been exhibited at The Folk Arts Center, Gallery of the Mountains, The Grovewood Gallery, The Old Depot, and Whistling Frog Tile.
Today, she continues to explore the balance between tradition, creativity, and functionality—both in her studio and in the classroom—guiding the next generation of ceramic artists.
Audrey is a current student at Colorado State University studying Interdisciplinary Arts and Ecology. In her free time she likes to cook with friends, roller skate, and explore outside. She deeply values community and is thrilled to join the warm environment of Putney again this summer, where nature, art, and people are at the center of it all.
Jake Noonan is a deep thinking, dynamic teacher and writer who approaches education in a creative and multidimensional manner.
Jake has over 10 years of teaching at traditional and alternative K-12 schools. In each grade, Jake specialized in working with neurodivergent students while offering authenticity and understanding. Jake is passionate about collaborating with each student to ensure that the individual goals are supported in all projects and discussions. Jake graduated from American Public University Systems in 2023 with an MFA in Humanities and from Temple University in 2014 with a BA in Secondary Education with a focus on English and Philosophy. Outside of academia, Jake spends time working on a multitude of creative projects at once such as music production, playing drums in several bands, writing fiction, and digital illustration.
Jackson Pelz is a musician and chess tutor from Asheville, North Carolina, currently living in New York City. A graduate of UNCSA’s Drama program, he loves to find places deeply involved in nature as well as the arts, which is why he’s very excited to be returning for his third summer working at The Putney’s Schools Summer arts program. When not practicing or writing music, he loves to read and go on walks. Sometimes he’ll learn more chess too, but only when he realizes how bad he still is.
Ella Pena is a live illustrator, exhibiting painter, and educator based in Sarasota, Florida. She began her artistic journey at The Putney Summer Program in 2017 and continued her studies at Ringling College of Art and Design. There, she majored in Illustration with dual minors in Graphic Design and Creative Writing.
Ella’s work encompasses a diverse range of styles, from monochromatic portraits with dramatic lighting to whimsical pen and ink drawings and product designs inspired by early 20th-century children’s book illustrations. In addition to her artistic practice, local exhibitions and live portrait work, Ella is committed to fostering young artistic talent, having taught art to students since 2013.
Website
Jenna Rae is a music teacher and opera singer who taught voice lessons at The Putney School for eight years before joining in 2024 as the Music Co-Director. Through her background in vocal training, as well as clarinet, she aims to instill a love for the performing arts while empowering students to discover their individual strengths. During the school year, Jenna works with vocalist and instrumentalists at Putney in a variety of ensembles and academic music classes. She leads Sing each week for The Putney School community, and she is excited to lead Sing for the Summer Arts Programs as well. The rest of her summer is filled with work in a professional opera company, TUNDI Productions, that runs the Wagner in Vermont Festival in Brattleboro, VT each August.
Freya Sachs is a teacher and writer in Nashville, TN. She is chair of the English Department of University School of Nashville, where she teaches high school English and creative writing. Her poems can be found as part of Nashville’s “Poetry In Motion” series, in the anthology Extinguished and Extinct: An Anthology of Things That No Longer Exist, at Rove poetry, and elsewhere. Her fiction reviews can be found at BookPage. She holds an AB in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Vanderbilt University.
Uriel Sandoval is a Mexican-American artist living in Los Angeles. His current art practice is a series of portrait and landscape paintings in oil and watercolor. Uriel has also focused on mixed-media drawings in charcoal and graphite pencils that emphasize the traditional use of shading with contemporary mixed-media newspaper and magazine articles.
Currently, Uriel is teaching at Alliance Piera Barbaglia Shaheen Health Service Academy High School. His art classes have conveyed units in painting, drawing, mixed media, and various other mediums. Uriel obtained a Master’s Degree in Art History in May 2024 from California State University of Los Angeles.
Haleigh Schmidt, a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut, will be joining Putney Summer Programs for their third summer. Legend has it they were found in a wizard’s den in a mountain cavern, swaddled in a Snoopy-print blanket and adorned with the tiniest cowboy hat. They have no intention of sharing their wizard secret. Please note that they absolutely did not finish the book they’re pictured reading, and they only read while they’re at Putney. They are super stoked to be returning to Putney Summer Programs again this year!
Lilah Sniderman is a ceramicist and video artist. Their work investigates ancient transformative biological processes like fermentation and fungal growth. They are currently cultivating live cultures in vessels forged of wild clay found in their home city of Los Angeles. Drawn to collaboration in all parts of life, their practice is deeply inspired by communal space making and living. They’re excited to learn about the local ecology of Vermont and celebrate art making with students this summer at The Putney School.
Born and raised in Vermont, Charlotte Sturm recently graduated from Oberlin College where she studied studio art. Her interests include oil painting, knitting, and cooking with friends. She will be returning for her second summer at Putney. She looks forward to being engaged with a community centered around art!
Ella is over the moon to return to Putney as a RLT after attending as a participant in 2015 and a Student In Training in 2018. She has been living in the UK since graduating from the University of Edinburgh where she studied sustainable development and human geography. Her deep love for the earth guides and inspires her movements in the world, from her focus on the ceramic arts to her work as a forest school leader, she seeks to encourage connection to the natural world through a multitude of mediums. She also loves cozy crafty times, playing her banjo, and frolicking about. She has worked with all ages and abilities and is really excited to be a part of Putney Summer Programs in 2025!
Joseph Tracy was licensed to teach art and English K-12 in CA in 1992. Since then he has taught art, English, and glass arts. Joseph has worked as a glass art craftsman, designer and conservator for his own studio, along with other studios. He has taught at The Putney School Summer Programs and Evening Activities for over 20 years. His unique approach to glass art, other art media and a section of student work can best be seen on his website. His classes cover the basics of copper foil technique, glass painting, and advanced techniques for advanced students. His goal is to help the students understand glass as an art form and to further their own artistic growth.
Aj is a visual artist from New Haven, CT. Being a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College, they are excited to re-enter Putney’s creative community. They attended the program in the summer of 2019, where they took drawing and ceramics! Continuing their creative passions today, in their spare time, Aj is often found drawing or creating a new oil painting. Outside of art, they love to play video games, go on walks with their dogs, and read graphic novels!
Jenalyn Warcup, a current graduate student at Bridgewater State University, is so excited to join Putney Summer Arts Program for her first summer. She loves all things art, nature, and community, so she can’t wait to experience all that Putney has to offer. An avid traveler, Jenalyn loves to explore Spanish speaking countries, where her adventures included creating a documentary on melting glaciers in Peru and building a water system for a water insecure community in Panama. When she’s not diving into creative projects or meaningful work, you’ll find her chatting with the farm animals or making new friends across campus.
Kiersten White’s passion is to be equitable and representational in making impactful and informative visual entertainment. She has directed and produced films independently and with production companies for the last 8 years. The last documentary she produced, “Dennis E. Thomas: Center Stage”, won a 2023 Silver Telly Award. Kiersten’s independently-produced short, “A Differently-Curated World”, won Best Story at the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
She has had the opportunity to guest-lecture at the University of California, San Diego in an introduction to filmmaking course. She has a BFA in race and gender studies from Spelman College and a MFA in Film from Savannah College of Art and Design. Kiersten currently lives in Southern Vermont where she teaches film at The Putney School for their summer arts program, she will be returning for her third summer.